Appleton vs Milwaukee
The short version
- Appleton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Milwaukee area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $184,000 in Milwaukee and $231,400 in Appleton.
- Households earn more in Appleton ($80,483 vs $54,234 median).
- Milwaukee has the warmer winter: January highs of 31°F vs 25°F.
- Appleton is growing faster: -0.3% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Appleton (19 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Appleton, WI | Milwaukee, WI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 75,452 | 562,407 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.3% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 2,968 | 5,848 |
| Median age | 37.5 | 32.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 27% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,483 | $54,234 |
| Median home value | $231,400 | $184,000 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,030 | $1,059 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.4 | 96.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 70.8 | 97.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,300 | $72,700 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 5.72% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.3 | 22.4 |
| Work from home | 13% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.5% | 6.2% |
| Poverty rate | 8.3% | 22.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 25° / 10° | 31° / 17° |
| July high / low | 82° / 61° | 82° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 33 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 9 |
| Nights below freezing | 157 | 123 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 79.7 | 98.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 60% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.1% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +56.8% | +51.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Appleton: May and July to September. Milwaukee: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Appleton weather by month and Milwaukee weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,300 in Appleton and $72,700 in Milwaukee. Moving from Appleton to Milwaukee, you would need about $78,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Appleton and Milwaukee
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Appleton and Milwaukee.
Which would you pick?
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